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Peter Clark. European Cities and Towns: 400-2000. Oxford Oxford
University Press, 2009. xiii + 412 pp. $39.95 (paper), ISBN
978-0-19-870054-8.
Reviewed by Michael W. Honhart (University of Rhode Island)
Published on H-German (March, 2010)
Commissioned by Benita Blessing
A Systematic History of European Cities and Towns
Peter Clark's _European Cities and Towns, 400-2000_ is a book with
many virtues. It is broad in scope, clearly written, and reasonably
priced. The book is divided into three chronological parts, with
divisions at 1500 and 1800. The first part is the shortest, and the
last part is the longest. Each chronological part is divided into
five topical chapters: "Urban Trends," "Economy," "Social Life,"
"Culture and Landscape," and "Governance." Each part ends with a
useful summary. There is some cross-referencing but surprisingly
little repetition in the topical chapters of each part. The book
includes six maps and eight tables, most of which are in the third
part of the book.
One of the strengths of _European Cities and Towns_ is its broad
geographical approach to European history. Clark devotes attention
systematically to cities and town in four regions: western Europe,
outer northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and eastern Europe.
Mediterranean cities receive the most attention in the first part of
the book, and those of western Europe get the most mention in the
second and third parts. However, there are examples from all four
regions throughout the book. In addition to dividing the cities and
towns by region, Clark discusses them by function. He mentions
capitals and court cities the most, but also gives attention to
ports, industrial centers, and specialist urban centers, such as
those with a military or leisure function. Spas and tourist centers
figure prominently in the final part of the book. In discussing
manufacturing in the past two centuries, Clark emphasizes the
importance of small-scale, workshop industries even during temporal
periods that are normally presented as having been dominated by
factories and other large-scale establishments.
Clark pays attention to the ways in which the experiences of urban
populations are affected by such factors as gender, age, class, and
place of birth. This contextualization is particularly effective in
the chapters on social life and governance. He concludes that cities
that have a history of welcoming immigrants and are tolerant of
diversity have fared better than those that were hostile to
newcomers. A recurring theme in the book is that cities and towns
have been forced periodically to innovate in order to survive
challenges to their prosperity. In these crises, the innovators have
often been outsiders by one measure or another.
Two other important themes in the book are the rise and fall of the
authority of urban planners and the entanglement between municipal
and national (and now European Union) authorities. On the whole Clark
presents a positive picture of the accomplishment of urban
authorities. He concludes that "[c]reativity and innovativeness ...
have indeed been one of the distinctive features of European cities
to the present time" (p. 366). He finishes with hopeful comments
about the first decade of our new millennium, and suggests that the
cities of outer northern Europe (Scandinavia, Scotland, and Ireland)
are faring best.
One limitation to the book is that it does not include reference
notes to lead a reader directly to the sources of comments and
quotations. There is, however, a generous bibliography, divided by
chapter, consisting mostly of English-language sources. This
organization allows readers of all academic levels to delve further
into specific topics treated by Clark. This book should serve a
variety of readers interested in urban history and European history
well.
Citation: Michael W. Honhart. Review of Clark, Peter, _European
Cities and Towns: 400-2000_. H-German, H-Net Reviews. March, 2010.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=29575
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License.
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